Gut Microbiota Types between Well-Grown and Stunted Children: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Stunting, is one of the malnutrition in the prepartum period up to the first two years of life and often exacerbated by recurrent gastrointestinal infections after birth. This study explores from various databases including Science Direct, Pubmed, Scopus, Springer Link, Sage Journal,, with keywords: "stunting, gut microbiota, toddler". In this study, 8 open access articles published dddonebetween 2016 and 2024 were used as sources of information according to the PRISMA 2020 guideline, with criteria based on the PICOTS framework (Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcomes, Timing, and Setting). The main stages of the PRISMA process included identification, screening, and eligibility. It was found that the presence of gut microbiota plays a role in stunting. Gastrointestinal infections have specific mechanisms that can lead to impaired growth and postnatal growth. Deficiency of non-pathogenic gut microbiota is considered to be the main cause. Changes in gut bacterial composition in children under five are associated with increased gastrointestinal frequency, which in turn leads to chronic growth disorders.